1970 Topps Booklets: The Pete Rose Story

 Roy Carlson's research revealed that this image was based on the photo that Topps would use for Rose's coin the next year.

Rose's father actually played semi-pro football, with the original semi-pro Cincinnati Bengals. A long career through the age of 42 - like father, like son.

I like the angle used for the drawing on the left. Gives some of the excitement of Rose the sparkplug.

Rose would hit .316 in 1970, 13th among major leaguers and 50 points behind Rico Carty.

Vintage star card roundup

Been almost a month since I did one of these posts. Four more Greg Morris auction results to show. Last week I skipped it for the first time since I started doing them about a year ago. I'll probably go back to it this week though.

Getting a cheap Mantle is a baseball thrill. So is adding a card of Al Schacht, Clown Prince of Baseball.

Another Mantle in here. He's not even on the card but it's still hard to get cheap. I like the photo of Griffith Stadium with the buildings around. Also two football checklists with the same Giants action photo cropped differently in '70 and '72.

The week before I snagged a whole lot of cheap '66 Venezuelans. The '67 Tony Perez is not a high number but people treat it like one, so glad to add that one.

Nothing too outstanding here. Did nicely on '72 high numbers, including an extra #683 that can be trade bait.

Speaking of trade bait I got this six-card lot of '57s. I needed the top three; the bottom are all available.

Only one other star card pickup in the past month, but it's one I'm very excited about! My first T206! It was trimmed so it stayed pretty cheap, I got it for about $15. Wouldn't have paid that much except it is a Yankee card. Actually my first Highlanders card!

Here it is unscrewed from it's prison. Bridie Cree was a solid outfielder for the Highlanders/Yankees from 1908 to 1915. His best season by far was 1911 when he hit .348 with 30 2B, 22 3B, 4, HR, 88 RBI and 48 SB.

Here's the back. A little rough but not too bad. I'm sure I won't be picking tobacco cards up very often but it sure is fun!

 

Cake or gum? 1976 Ted Simmons

Last time there was a 5-5 tie. Will we have a winner this time?

Hostess shows Simmons squinting at the camera. I'm not sure which ballpark this is. Topps definitely has their usual spot at Shea Stadium for Simmons's batting pose.

Ted Simmons was a fine catcher for many years for the Cardinals, Brewers and Braves. He was a nine-time All-Star who hit for a fairly high average (.285) and some power (six 20+ HR seasons). He is considered one of the weaker Hall-of-Fame selections in recent years (he had 50.4 WAR in 2,456 games, compared to Thurman Munson, 46.1 WAR in 1,423 games). After his playing career he was an executive, coach and scout for several teams.

Wood vs. Wood #229

Last time it was an 8-0 sweep for 1987. Can 1962 get on the board this time?

Orlando de Jesus McFarlane was usually known as Orlando, but is called Jesus here on his rookie card. Great photo at the old Forbes Field with the big catching glove. Born in Cuba, McFarlane made his MLB debut in 1962 with eight games for the Pirates. He also played for them in '64, the Tigers in '66, and the Angels in '67 and '68. Overall in 124 games he hit .240 with 5 HR and 20 RBI. He died in Puerto Rico in 2007.

Simple headshot of Mike Birkbeck. 1987 was the first baseball set I collected and I'm pretty sure this was one of my first cards. The Brewers had two pitchers whose names were fun to say out loud over and over - Birkbeck and Clutterbuck. (I have to admire someone like Night Owl who seems to remember every card from his childhood in the order he got them.) Birkbeck made his MLB debut in 1986 with seven games for the Brewers. He was a part-time member of their starting rotation through the 1989 season. He also had brief stints with the Mets in '92 and '95. Overall in 54 games (51 starts) he went 12-19 with a 4.86 ERA. In 1997 he joined Kent State as their pitching coach, where he remains to this day. 

Wallet Card with some more 100+ year old ghost signs

 Some more signs visible on a building at 7th Avenue and West 17th Street.

 Many of these have faded beyond the point where the business can be made out, including a neckwear business and a leather business. Two that are legible are Brandenstein Trimmings, which operated from 1907 to 1931, and Geo A. Powers Printing, which also operated in the early 20th century; their most notable book appears to be 1903's Lincoln in Caricature.

1974 Topps Deckle Dating - Luis Tiant

RIP Luis Tiant.

March 4, 1973. Seems right as he didn't have a mustache on 1973 cards.

The same day Tiant was posing, his Red Sox suffered an injury blow, as catcher Vic Correll broke his leg in a sliding drill. In other news, 34 American POWs were released in Vietnam, elections were held in Chile and France, and Yankees pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich held press conferences to announce that they were swapping wives.

1976 SSPC Merv Rettenmund

First off, RIP Don Ferrarese, who pitched for five major league teams, and died last week at the age of 95. He shared his thoughts on baseball cards with this blog in 2022.

 

The card, in brief: The wad of chaw in Rettenmund's face gives him a goofy look.

Playing career, in brief: Rettenmund was a semi-regular outfielder for the Orioles in the early 1970s, with great seasons as a platoon player in 1970 and 1971. Injuries and tinkering with his swing led to decreased effectiveness as a hitter. Overall in 1,023 games for the Orioles, Reds, Padres and Angels, he hit .271 with 66 HR and 329 RBI..

Post-playing career, in brief: Rettenmund was a hitting coach for several teams, most recently the Padres. He is now retired.

My collection: I have 13 of his cards, from 1969 to 1980. I would be interested in trading for 1972 Kellogg's #11.

1981 Topps Charlie Hough

  

The front: Hough is prepared for the cold and for being sweaty. That towel sure looks dirty, though.

The back: Hough's stat line is too long for any comment or cartoon. And yet he wasn't even halfway through his career yet!

The player: At the time of this card, the knuckleballer was a long-time reliever, recently traded to the Rangers after just over a decade with the Dodgers. In 1982 the Rangers moved him to the starting rotation, reviving his career at the age of 34. From 1982 to 1990 Hough was a reliable member of the Rangers starting rotation, winning at least 10 games a year. He ended his career with two solid seasons each for the White Sox and Marlins. In 858 games (440 starts) he went 216-216 with 61 saves and a 3.75 ERA.

The man: After his playing career he was a pitching coach for several minor league teams, as well as the Dodgers and Mets. He is now retired.

My collection: I have 114 of his cards, from 1972 to 1995. I would be interested in trading for 1983 Fleer Star Stickers #163.

1970 Topps Booklets: The Denis Menke Story

 In the comments of the last post, Night Owl mentioned that Roy Carlson just did a deep dive on this set for Sports Collectors Daily. Carlson has been posting a lot of very interesting articles lately about the images in vintage Topps sets. Turns out the drawing of Menke here is based on the image later seen on his 1971 Topps coin.

Great cartoon there on page two.

The panel at the top of page 3 seems confusing to me. I wonder if it was originally meant to be part of the "Mr. Versatility"  bit on page 4? It doesn't match the part about batting .336.

Bad use of an apostrophe in the last panel.

 

Cake or gum? 1976 Denny Doyle

Last time it was an 8-0 shutout for Topps. Will Hostess get on the board this time?

The Hostess card has Doyle at Shea Stadium, with a dark blue sky behind him. I would guess this is a printing issue rather than the photo being taken near sunset. Meanwhile, Topps has a close-up of Doyle appearing to be following through on a swing, with the shadow of the batting cage on him. It would appear he is next to the cage, not in it.

Denny Doyle was a typical 1970s middle-infielder. He was a good, though not elite defender. He was an OK hitter with a little power, not an automatic out but not much of a threat. In 944 games between 1970 and 1977 with the Phillies, Angels and Red Sox, he hit .250 with 113 2B, 16 HR, 237 RBI and 38 SB. In 1978 he founded Doyle Baseball Camps, one of the earliest and most successful youth instruction organizations. He died in 2022.